Werewolves of the Valley
by Black Raider
Summary: All his life, Shifu kept a dark secret, putting his past behind him. When the past catches up, he will learn that there are some secrets best left unkept. R&R 1st fanfic, so go easy on me.
1. Prolouge

Werewolves of the Valley

Prolouge

"Hurry! We have to get to the palace!"

"I _am _hurrying!"

"Well go faster!"

Two cats, a leopard and a snow leopard, ran fast thru the forest. Behind them, dark shadows of people were shouting and giving a chase. The snow leopard had a small bundle in her arms, which she held closely. After a moment the leopard, the snow leopard's husband, pulled his wife behind a rock. They watched as a group of about a dozen poachers ran by.

"Are we almost there?" the snow leopard asked. "The child will be awake soon."

"He'll be fine." The leopard assured. "Oogway will take care of him. Besides, Mei, he isn't our child by blood."

"Zhan, he's still our responsibility." Mei said. Zhan sighed, and then he tensed up. He pushed his wife away as an arrow struck his shoulder.

"Take the kid and go!" he shouted, facing the poachers. "I'll hold them off!" Mei nodded and ran off, ignoring here husband's screams of pain. She got to the Jade Palace doors just as the sun started to rise. She pounded on the doors, but there was no answer. She heard the poachers not too far behind. Mei held her child in one last hug before setting him down and running back to face her attackers. As the sun rose, there was a mighty roar, and then silence.

In the palace, a messenger goose had heard the pounding and the roar. Terrified, he ran to Master Oogway. The old tortoise followed the messenger to the gate. When Oogway opened the door, he saw only the rising sun.

"What did you hear again?" he asked the goose.

"Someone wanted to get in." the goose said, still a bit scared. Then, Oogway heard a small mewing sound and looked down. He looked surprised by the small, jade green bundle of blankets, but then he smiled. He picked up the little bundle, and a small red panda cub peeked out. He smiled at his new guardian and giggled. Oogway smile got bigger.

"It seems we have a new student." He said, closing the doors as he and the messenger goose walked back to the palace.

"What's its name?" the goose asked. Oogway looked at the note Mei had pinned to the blanket. He glanced down at the sleeping red panda.

"His name is Shifu."


	2. The Lost Prince

_I almost forgot, I do not own Kung Fu Panda, I only own the characters not in the movie._

Chapter 1- The Lost Prince

_His name is Shifu._

Shifu opened his eyes and sat up, sighing. It was the fifth time that week he had that dream. Shifu had little memory of his leopard parents, much less his biological parents. He shook his head, got dressed, and went out to get his students. The gong rang, and the Furious Five came out of their rooms.

"Good morning, Master!" they said. Shifu glanced over at Po's closed door and rolled his eyes. He walked over and pounded on the Dragon Warrior's door.

"Panda!" he called. "Get up!" Po didn't answer, so Shifu slammed open the doors, only to find Po's bed empty. "Where is he?" Viper, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane shrugged.

"I think I know." Tigress said. Everyone followed her to the kitchen and, sure enough, Po was there, fast asleep under the table. He had a wok on his head and a broom in his hands. Shifu shook his head and walked over.

"Panda!" he yelled. Po's eyes snapped open and he jumped up, flipping the table over.

"Go away!" he yelled, swinging the broom. "Bad dog!" Shifu caught the broom and yanked it out of his student's hands. When Po saw Shifu and the Five, he calmed down. "Oh, it's just you." He flopped down into a chair. "Whew."

"What happened in here?" Mantis asked, looking around. Everyone copied and saw the kitchen a mess. They gave Po the _look_.

"It wasn't my fault!" Po insisted. "I heard something come in here, so I came to scare it off."

"Who was it?" Crane asked.

"I don't know." Po admitted. "But it was huge! The size of a polar bear!"

"_Was _it a polar bear?" Viper suggested.

"No." Po said. "It was a wolf the _size _of a polar bear." Shifu tensed up, and then sighed. _Oh no. _he thought. _They didn't. _

"Master?" Shifu opened his eyes and saw his student staring at him.

"We'll figure this out later." He decided. "Po, you are to have this cleaned immediately. The rest of you, go off to training. Po, join them when you are finished." Shifu's students bowed and went off. Shifu walked to his room and yanked at a loose floorboard. The board opened up like a door and Shifu saw a ladder going down. He grabbed a lantern and proceeded into the darkness. At the bottom was a circular room containing only a small bed and ceiling high shelves full of books. Shifu rummaged under the pillow on the bed and pulled out a small box. He pocketed the box and left. Once in his room, Shifu opened the box and pulled out a small hunk of jade on a black chain. The jade was carved to look like a wolf's head. The eyes of the wolf were glowing. Shifu put on the necklace and leaned out the window.

"They did." He groaned. A soft wind blew, and the old master heard a distant howl. "I'm here." He whispered into the wind. "I'll come tonight."

**********

Deep in the forest, a wolf howled a mournful song. He was pure black and the size of an adult polar bear. A wolf pup, this one grey and the size of a polar bear cub, walked up to the black wolf and bowed.

"Prince Zhan shi." The pup said. "You've sung that song too many times. Forgive me for saying, but I'm not sure he's in the forest."

"Now Chen." Zhan shi said, giving the pup a sad smile. "I know he's not in the forest; I'm calling the Jade Palace. This is the closest I can get without causing panic."

"Will he listen?" Chen asked hopefully.

"I believe my brother is listening for many years, as have I." Zhan shi assured. "We understood each other well for adoptive siblings." The prince sighed and bowed his head. Suddenly, Chen yipped.

"Sire!" he cried. "Listen!" Zhan shi strained his ears for sound. Then he heard it, too: a voice in the wind.

"I'm here." It said. "I'll come tonight." Zhan shi leaped in the air and barked happily.

"It's him!" he exclaimed. He turned to Chen. "Alert the villagers! My brother is returning!" Chen yipped and ran off into the camp, where many animals watched and listened.

"Prepare yourselves!" Chen called. "He's returning!"

"Who?" a lioness asked.

"Our lost prince!" Chen cried. "Prince Shifu!"

_Cool, huh? Read & Review please. I would appreciate some encouragement. _


	3. A Visit & A Danger

Chapter 2- A Visit & A Danger

"Master, a letter came for you." Po said, tossing a scroll to Shifu. It was dinner, and Po had long since cleaned the kitchen and was cooking. Shifu unrolled the scroll and read it to himself.

_Shifu,_

_I'm sending an escort to take you to our camp in the forest. You must make sure that you can stay for a while. Give Oogway my best wishes._

_Zhan shi._

Shifu smiled and rolled up the scroll.

"Something wrong?" Monkey asked his master.

"Uh, yes." Shifu lied. "A village nearby is having some bandit trouble. I'm going to be gone for a few days."

"You want us to come?" Po offered.

"No!" Shifu snapped. Everyone flinched, and Shifu cleared his throat. "Uh, I can handle it. I'll be gone early, so just go thru the normal routine." Shifu left and went to his room. He pulled out his necklace from underneath his robe collar and stared at it. The wolf eyes were glowing brighter. "I'll be there soon." He promised.

***********

That night, when everyone was asleep, Shifu snuck out of his room and went to the kitchen to wait for Zhan shi's escort. After a while, he got bored, so Shifu flipped a sharp knife around.

"Nice moves." A voice said behind him. Shifu gasped, spun around, and flung the knife at Chen, who was standing behind him across the room. The knife impaled the wall an inch from Chen's head. Shifu sighed.

"Don't startle me like that!" he whispered. Chen chuckled.

"Couldn't help it." Chen walked to the window and opened it wide. "You coming or not?" Shifu laughed as he and Chen leaped out the window and ran thru the forest. Chen led Shifu to the camp, where all the villagers were out, lighting torches and lanterns, whispering excitedly. In the dim light, Shifu could see many different species that made up the villagers. There were many different cats, a few boars here and there, some wild dogs, and many other creatures from all over the world.* There were even a dozen mice and about thirty eagles and hawks. They all gathered around a large tent in the heart of the camp, where Chen and Shifu stopped outside of.

"All bow before Prince Zhan shi!" Chen called. Everyone bowed low while Shifu and Chen kneeled. Zhan shi came out of the tent and smiled.

"At ease, my people." He said. Everyone rose. "Shifu, my brother." He gestured inside the tent. "Come, we have a lot to talk about." Shifu walked into the tent while Chen ran off to play with his friends. Inside the tent, Shifu and Zhan shi got comfortable; Shifu lay down in a hammock while Zhan shi lied down on a bed.

"Well, it's certainly a great joy to have you back." Zhan shi said.

"Trust me; it's good to _be _back." Shifu assured.

"You know, I thought you were dead." Zhan shi admitted. "I mean, I knew you were supposed to be dropped off at the Jade Palace. But when Mom and Dad didn't come back-"

"Whoa, wait a minute." Shifu interrupted, sitting up. "Our parents never returned?" Zhan shi turned away.

"They died trying to get you to Master Oogway safely. I'm so sorry." Shifu went silent, so Zhan shi changed the subject.

"Well, we do have bigger problems." He said. "Have you ever heard of an elephant known as Chu-Jung?"

"No." Shifu replied. "Why?"

"Do you remember how poachers kept attacking us with those weird orbs when we were kids?"

"Yeah. They wanted to capture everyone."

"Exactly." Zhan shi continued. "One day, Chen came to me and said that Chu-Jung wants us to become more powerful and take over the valley."

"Wouldn't he explode or something?" Shifu noted.

"That's why our parents left you at the Jade Palace." Zhan shi explained. "That necklace I gave you is magic; if Chu-Jung wears that, he'll be able to control all that power." Shifu groaned and rubbed his head.

"What do we do?" he finally asked. "My students think I'll only be gone a few days. Five tops."

"That's all we'll need." Zhan shi assured his brother. "I brought our people here, and Chu-Jung followed us. I have my strongest warriors ready. I have a plan to end this." Shifu smiled a crafty smile.

"I'm listening."

************

The next day, at the Jade Palace, Po found a new way to irritate Tigress.

"I wonder how Shifu's doing?" he asked at breakfast.

"It's none of our business!" Tigress snapped.

"Besides, I'm sure he's fine." Monkey said.

"Whatever that village is going thru, Shifu can handle it." Mantis added. Po seemed uneasy, so he got up and started to walk away.

"I'm going to my dad's for the day." He announced.

"Shifu's not going to like that." Crane warned.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Viper followed Po quickly.

"Mind if I come?" she asked politely. "I need to visit the doctor for some medicine." Po agreed. Once in town, Po disappeared into his dad's restaurant while Viper slithered into the house of the valley's doctor. The young vixen was organizing a cabinet full of different potions and elixirs.

"Viper!" she smiled to the serpent as she came in. "How good to see you!"

"Good to see you Yun." Viper said. "You wouldn't happen to have any rosemary, would you? I'm running out."

"Of course. Just give me a sec." Yun climbed down and opened a woven basket on the floor. Suddenly, a kit jumped out. Yun and Viper jumped back.

"Hong!" Yun cried. "What are you doing in there?" The kit looked sheepish.

"It smells good in here." He said.

"Well, can you sniff out some rosemary for Master Viper?" Yun asked her son. Hong nodded and pulled out a small brown bag. Yun handed it to Viper and helped her put the bag around the snake's neck so it wouldn't slip, but it also wouldn't choke her.

"Have a nice day!" Hong waved as Viper left. Viper smiled and headed back to the restaurant. Then, there was a loud _CRASH_, and Viper saw a large crocodile attacking some street vendors. He grabbed a large bag of money and turned to run. But Viper got to him fast, Taking away the money and tossing it aside.

"Bad mistake." Viper hissed. Now, the croc had a large axe, but he knew that if the rest of the Furious Five got down there, he'd never win. So the croc ran with Viper right on his tail. Once they were pretty far into the forest, the croc took out his axe and attacked Viper. The serpent master dodged and attacked, but the croc was just a bit faster. He swiped with his claws and scratched Viper's middle. She fell back, wounded. The croc came at her and swung his axe for one final blow.

"Say good-bye!" he taunted. Viper braced herself, but all she felt was a rough shove from a large creature. Viper looked up and saw a black wolf with a white star on his chest standing over her. It was just like Po had described: a wolf the size of an adult polar bear. The croc hissed, and the wolf stood protectively in front of Viper.

"Leave now." The wolf snarled. "And I'll consider not killing you." Instead, the croc swung his axe at the wolf. But the wolf dodged the blade and lunged. With a sharp _SNAP_, the wolf broke the croc's neck, and the reptile fell. The wolf sighed and turned to Viper. He walked over to her, and Viper backed up. But all the wolf did was like the snake's wound. He looked into her eyes.

"Please don't be afraid, Viper." The wolf told her gently. "It's me." Viper stared at the wolf and noticed his eyes.

His bright, blue eyes.

Viper gasped.

"Master Shifu?"

_Oh dear. What now? Will update ASAP. Bear with me. Read & Review please! _


	4. Meeting the Werewolves

Chapter 3- Meeting the Werewolves

Shifu looked away from his snake student. Viper was still pretty much frozen in shock. Finally, she got the courage to speak.

"What are you?" she asked.

Shifu gazed at her for a moment before he transformed back to his original form in his robe. Shifu stood and brushed himself off. "Come." He ordered gently. "We should get they wound healed." Viper started to follow her master, but soon found out that her wound made it difficult to move without pain. So Shifu bundled her in his arms and carried her deep into the forest.

"You haven't answered my question." Viper noted coldly. "_What are you?_" Shifu sighed and finally admitted it.

"I'm a werewolf."

*****

That night, Po returned to the palace, only to find Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane waiting for him.

"Where's Viper?" Tigress demanded. Po looked surprised.

"She's not here?" he asked.

"No." Crane said. "We thought she was with you."

"Well, I stopped by Doctor Yun's place, but the doc said that she left a long time ago." Po explained. "I thought she came here."

"Well, she's not anywhere in the palace." Mantis said. Everyone looked worried. --------

"Look guys, I'm sure it'll be fine." Po assured. "She's strong. Hey, if she's not back by tomorrow, we'll go out and look for her." Everyone agreed on the idea, so they left for bed.

*****

Meanwhile, Shifu took Viper to his village. Viper was amazed by the diversity of animals. She had never thought she see animals that never lived in China. About half of the animals Viper saw were polar bear sized wolfs of many colors. One had the colorings of a snow leopard. Many of the animals gave Viper a weird look. But when they saw she was with Shifu, they gave the serpent warm smiles.

"So this is your village?" Viper asked.

"Sort of, yeah." Shifu said. "This was my home before I came to the Valley of Peace." Shifu carried Viper into a mid-sized tent, where a white wolf with a black stripe down its back was wrapping bandages around a wounded paw of a lioness cub.

"So now we know to stay away from porcupines, right?" the wolf told the cub.

"Yes." The lioness cub replied. "Thank you, Yī fù." With his paw treated, the little cub ran out the tent to play. Seeing Shifu, she stopped and bowed. "Good evening, sir." Shifu smiled and patted the lioness on the head. She smiled and ran off.

"Yī fù, I need your help." Shifu told the white wolf. He set Viper down and Yī fù told her to stretch out. Viper obeyed and Yī fù assessed the damage.

"My goodness." The wolf said. "What have you been doing?"

"Fighting a crocodile with and axe." Viper muttered.

"What?!" Yī fù seemed quite shocked.

"Yī fù, this is one of my students, Master Viper, of the Furious Five." Shifu explained. "Viper, this is Yī fù, our most skilled medicine woman."

"That's what my name means Shifu." Yī fù noted as she started to treat Viper's wound. "Now, you're going to have to hold still." Yī fù explained. "This may hurt a bit, but we'll need you." Yī fù sprinkled a purple powder on Viper's cut, chanting a spell in strange language Viper couldn't understand. She felt a sharp jolt of pain, and she yelped. When Yī fù stopped chanting, Viper looked and saw her cuts gone.

"How did you do that?" she asked incredulously.

"They don't call me skilled for nothing." Yī fù laughed. "Now both of you, off to bed." The wolf shooed Viper and Shifu out of the tent. "We have a long day tomorrow." Yī fù disappeared into her tent, and Shifu led Viper to his tent.

"You'll have to sleep on a few pillows, I'm afraid." Shifu said as they walked (slithered in Viper's case.). "We didn't really expect your kind of company." Viper watched with awe as the animals in the camp blew out their lanterns and went to sleep.

"It looks like the valley's village, but smaller." Viper said.

"Yeah, at least we can't be attacked easily." Shifu said.

"So, is everyone here a werewolf like you?" Viper asked.

Shifu sighed. "Yes. Each werewolf is the size of a polar bear, depending on the age. And each wolf has a different color. Some of them have the same colors as their original forms. We also know how to use the five elements."

"So, how does someone _become _a werewolf?"

"Well, if you live thru a bite from a werewolf, you'll become one." Shifu explained. "You can say a spell to transform, or you can just be born one." He laughed at Viper's shocked expression. "Werewolves _can _have offspring you know. Some of the werewolves here are always in their wolf form because that's the way they were born."

"Is that the way you were?" Viper had to muster all her courage to ask such a question. Shifu stopped walking, and Viper stood in front of him. Her master sighed and looked quite sorrowful. He walked again and led Viper into a large tent. Shifu made a bed for Viper, and she curled up. Shifu lay in his hammock. He pointed to a large, pitch-black wolf on a bed next to Viper and whispered, "That's my brother, Zhan shi." Viper stared at him with awe, then curled up and tried to sleep.

"I used to live in a village near a river, far away from here." He said. Viper glanced up at her master. "One day, when I was only two, some werewolves came. Everyone thought they were attacking, but all they wanted was a single person to receive the Blessing of Wolves. I somehow understood what that meant, and I stepped up. The leader, Zhan shi's grandfather, gave me the blessing against my parents' wishes. Once the gift was given, I became a werewolf. Zhan shi's grandfather left, and ever since then, people praised me. They thought werewolves were evil, but since they didn't hurt me, they forgot about that. Everyone looked at me like I was a hero. But my father, the leader of the village, took me as a threat. He tried to kill me one night, but my mother tried to protect me and died." Shifu sighed sadly. "So that same night, my father put me in a basket and threw me into a river. He thought I'd drown, but Zhan shi's mother, Mei, found me and saved me. I lived with them for only two years before Chu-Jung, an evil elephant after our powers, came and threatened our village. My adoptive parents took me to the Jade Palace. I've been living there ever since."

Viper stared at her master and realized this was the first time that Shifu had been open about his past. She felt like she had to say something, anything, to comfort him.

"Do you regret it?" she asked.

"What?" he asked her, leaning over the side of his hammock. _Wrong question. _Viper thought.

"Do you regret taking the blessing?" Viper asked again.

"Well, no, not really." Shifu said. "If I hadn't taken that blessing, I would never have learned how cruel some people can be. Or how some people judge before actually meeting someone."

"I'm sorry about your mother." Viper said.

"It's alright." Shifu said. But Viper could hear the hurt in his voice clearly. "I never knew her that well. My biological parents weren't really one to interact with me."

"What happened to Mei and her husband?"

"She and Zhan died getting me to the palace." Again, hurt in his voice. Viper wanted to say more, but Shifu turned over and pretended to sleep. Viper sighed and went to sleep. Shifu sighed and did the same.

*****

The next morning, Po, Tigress, Monkey, Crane, and Mantis started their search when they didn't see Viper. They scoured the village at least twice before they started on the forest.

"Are you sure that she's here?" Crane asked when they stopped for a break.

"I don't know!" Po said. "It's just the next place I'd look."

"This forest is huge!" Mantis said, exasperated. "How are we going to find one little snake in a giant forest?" Suddenly, Tigress tensed up, growling.

"What's up?" Monkey asked. Tigress stood and started to walk away.

"Stay here, I'll find out what's going on." Tigress said. "I heard something." Tigress walked thru the forest, listening. She heard a rustling thru the bushes and saw a wolf Po described from the kitchen raid. Tigress moved forward quietly, ready to pounce and strike. Suddenly, another large wolf pounced on her. Tigress growled and started to fight the large wolf. After a moment, the wolf pinned Tigress to the ground and snarled in her face.

"Hey!" Po called as he and everyone else ran to Tigress. "Get off of her!" The wolf and Tigress looked up. Many other wolves that looked like the one that was on Tigress, but different colors. The wolf on Tigress got up and stared at her as she stood.

"Tigress?" he asked.

"Yes, and you are?" Tigress demanded.

"Tigress!" Viper moved next to the wolf.

"Viper!" Monkey called. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" Viper said.

"Who's this?" Po asked, pointing at the black wolf next to Viper. The wolf and Viper shared a look, and the wolf transformed back to his normal self.

"Shifu?" Po, Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane said in unison. Their master nodded.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're here to find Viper." He said. Shifu's students nodded. Shifu rolled his eyes. "Well, I should properly introduce you to my friends here. Students, these are my village's warriors." Shifu turned to the wolves around him. "These are my students. The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five, including Viper."

"Okay, I need someone to explain something." Po said. "What's going on?"

"Po, I had to wait until you were ready to know." Shifu said. "These are werewolves. They are my greatest warriors. We got together because we need to stop Chu-Jung."

"Who?" Crane asked.

"Chu-Jung." Shifu said. "He's after the power of me and my people."

"What powers?" Mantis asked.

"Shifu." A black wolf stepped up to Shifu. "Perhaps we should make camp and talk. I'd also like to know more about these warriors."

"You don't trust them." Shifu said.

"Nope." The wolf said.

"Fine." Shifu turned to his students. "Come with me. We need to talk."

_I forgot to mention in the last chapter: if you want a specific person or animal character mentioned in my story, please include their name, their species, their werewolf colors, their personality, and their clothes (optional)_


	5. The Plan & The Attack

Chapter 4- The Plan & The Attack

About fifty miles away, a large elephant sat on his throne, looking quite bored. Then, two cheetahs came in and bowed to the elephant.

"Chu-Jung." The first said. "Ling and I have news."

"Well, let's here it Li." Chu-Jung said impatiently.

"We have found out that the werewolves have found their missing prince, and they've recruited the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior." Li said.

"Well, actually, the Dragon Warrior seems like he doesn't trust the wolves." Ling added. Chu-Jung straightened up.

"Well, this _is _good news!" he boomed. "Watch the Dragon Warrior and report back to me tomorrow."

"Yes sir!" Li and Ling said. They bowed and ran out.

*****

When Po and the Furious Five got to the werewolves' base camp, it was getting dark. Shifu and Zhan shi led them to the campfire while the other werewolves left to sleep. Some scouts went out on lookout duty.

"Well, I think it's about time I told you." Shifu said as they got comfortable. "First off, I _am _a werewolf. My brother Zhan shi and I are the princes." Everyone looked surprised, but Po seemed angrier. "Now, there's an elephant known as Chu-Jung who has followed the werewolves here to the Valley of Peace." Shifu continued. "Werewolves have the powers of the five elements, and Chu-Jung wants that power to take over the valley, if not the world." Shifu pulled out his necklace. "_This _will help him control that power if he gets it."

"But he won't" Zhan shi insisted. "We have a plan. You see, we outnumber Chu-Jung twenty to one. But his forces are strong, making us equally matched. We must sneak into Chu-Jung's hideout at night. Our warriors will distract the guards while you all join Shifu and me to kill Chu-Jung. Without him, his forces will flee, and we will be safe once more."

"But this is only going to work if you join us." Shifu reminded them. "What do you say?"

"I'm in." Tigress said immediately. "It would be an honor."

"Me too." Viper piped up. "It'll be my way of saying 'Thanks' to your people for their hospitality." Mantis, Monkey, and Crane joined in happily. Everyone then looked at Po expectantly.

"Well, Dragon Warrior?" Zhan shi asked. Po glared at him, stood, and sat down on a log at the edge of camp.

"I'll talk to him." Shifu said. "The rest of you get some sleep." They all obeyed, falling asleep around the fire. Shifu walked over to Po and stood next to him. "Why didn't you speak up?" he asked his student. "I expected you to be one of the first ones to volunteer."

"I expected you to tell me and the Five the truth." Po regarded coldly.

"Po, there's a reason why I didn't tell you." Shifu scolded.

"There shouldn't _be _a reason!" Po yelled, standing to face his master. "We had the right to know a secret like that!"

"Po, listen." Shifu started.

"No, _you _listen!" Po interrupted. "You should've told us this a long time ago! I know you're not that open, but we deserved to know!"

Po, enough!" Shifu shouted. "We need your help to beat Chu-Jung!"

"Do it yourself!" Po shouted. "Unless you're too much of a coward!" Shifu moved fast, swiping Po's feet out from under him and putting Po on his back. Shifu transformed and jumped onto Po's chest, growling.

"You will _never _speak to your master that way again." Shifu snarled. "I expect better from a Dragon Warrior." Shifu got off and Po stood up.

"You shouldn't keep secrets." He said. Po started to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Shifu called.

"Home!" Po called back. "I'm not risking my life for a bunch of monsters!"

"Fine! Leave!" Shifu yelled. "See if I care you stupid, fat, clumsy idiot!" Shifu watched as Po disappeared into the trees. He groaned. "Po, come back." He pleaded. But Po was gone. Shifu sighed sadly. "What have I done?" He walked back to the fire and curled up next to Zhan shi, falling into an uneasy sleep.

*****

Po kept walking all through the forest. Truthfully, he had no idea where he was going. But he didn't care; Po wanted to get far away from his master.

_Whoa, wait a minute. _Po thought to himself. _Shifu is _not _my master. If he was, he would've told the truth. _The thought made Po go faster and faster until he was running as fast as he could thru the forest. After a while, he skidded to a halt, panting. He sat down to think and saw that he got himself lost.

"Great, this is perfect!" Po hit himself in the head, calling himself an idiot. Suddenly, the bushes behind him moved, and Po stood up and got ready. From the bushes emerged two cheetahs in ninja outfits. "Who are you?" Po asked.

"I am Li." One said.

"And I am Ling." Said the other.

"We are the commanders of King Chu-Jung's army." Li said. "We heard how you and your master-"

"Shifu's not my master." Po said.

"Alright then." Ling said. "We heard how you and _Shifu _were fighting. We couldn't help but overhear. It has come to our attention that you don't care for the werewolves, do you?"

"I hate the werewolves." Po said.

"Well, why don't you join our king?" Li offered. "With you on our side, we will destroy _all _the werewolves."

"We'll need your help." Ling said. Po thought for a moment. He thought about how Shifu had kept his secret for so long and waited until he and the Five had caught him to confess. It made Po angry, so he agreed.

"Splendid!" Li said. "Follow us." Po obeyed, following the two cats through the forest.

*****

The next night, Shifu and Zhan shi put their plan into action. With the Furious Five right behind them, the brothers led their army to Chu-Jung's hideout. It was a tall castle in a huge cavern. Shifu and Zhan shi took care of the gate's guards, and the army followed them in.

"Alright, this is where we start the diversion." Zhan shi said as they hid in the shadows. He and Shifu nodded to each other, and Shifu jumped out in his wolf form, tackling one of Chu-Jung's soldiers. Another soldier saw him and rang the alarm. Many other soldiers came out and attacked, right on time. The werewolves counter-attacked. Shifu, Zhan shi, and the Furious Five ran thru the battle to the stairs to the throne room.

"So far, so good." Mantis said. But he spoke too soon, because then, two soldiers appeared at the top of the stairs and attacked. Shifu went back to his normal form, grabbed one soldier, threw him into the other, and kicked them both over the heads of the Five and Zhan shi and down the stairs.

"How is that possible?" Zhan shi asked. "All the soldiers should be attacking our troops."

"We'll worry about it later." Shifu said.

"He's right." Viper said. "Chu-Jung is our main problem." They all nodded and continued. They burst thru the thrown room and saw Chu-Jung himself, waiting for them.

"Well, it's about time you showed up." He said. "I hope you don't mind; I have a little surprise for you." As if on cue, about fifty soldiers burst out and surrounded the group.

"Of course!" Zhan shi cursed. "He knew we were coming."

"How _exactly _could he know that?" Mantis asked.

"Well, perhaps I should introduce you to my new lieutenant." Chu-Jung taunted. "Dragon Warrior! Get out here!" Shifu, Zhan shi, and the Five watched as Po appeared next to Chu-Jung.

"Po?" Crane asked. "What are you _doing_?"

"I'm doing what's right." Po said. They all stared at him. Shifu seemed the most shocked. Why was Po doing this? Then Shifu knew; Po was angry with him.

"Kill them." Chu-Jung ordered his men. The soldiers attacked, but the group fought back. Shifu broke away and ran to Chu-Jung, transforming as he ran. Chu-Jung nodded to Po, and the panda jumped up with a spear in his hands. Shifu skidded to a halt, shocked that Po would do such a thing. Po attacked, and Shifu realized he couldn't not fight Po without being killed, so Shifu attacked. They fought for only a moment before Shifu swiped away Po's spear and landed on top of him. He was in the perfect position for a final blow. But Shifu couldn't do it; he couldn't kill Po. He wasn't just his student; he was also a good friend. Shifu got off of Po and instead attacked Chu-Jung.

"I knew you couldn't kill him." Chu-Jung said as he blocked Shifu's attack. "Just like how your father couldn't kill you." Shifu stopped and snarled.

"Zhan loved me." He said.

"Not _that _father." Chu-Jung said. Shifu stared at him, wide-eyed. "Yes, Shifu, your real father never threw you into the river. He never wanted you dead; he wanted to take you to the werewolves personally to protect you. He didn't put you in that river." Chu-Jung smiled evilly.

"_I _did."

_Well, you can all take a good guess that there's going to be trouble, huh? R&R!_


	6. Games, Powers, and Promises

Werewolves of the Valley

Chapter Five- Games, Powers, and Promises

At first, Shifu was shocked. Then he was furious at what Chu-Jung had done to him and his family. So he attacked again. Chu-Jung knew Shifu would start getting fierce. He pulled out a spear from behind his spear and thrust it towards Shifu.

The tip of the spear was blunt, but painful. But what hurt the most was the electric shock the spear gave to Shifu. The wolf master fell, smoke curling off his body. Chu-Jung twirled the spear around.

"You like it?" he asked. "It was a gift from the gods to Zhan. I just happened to find it after I killed him." Shifu struggled to stand. He looked back behind him and saw the Five and Zhan shi being defeated and captured. Two guards grabbed him as well.

"What now sir?" one asked.

"Take the Furious Five to their cell. Both werewolves here need a power-preventing cell. The rest of the werewolves get normal cells." Chu-Jung waved them off, and the soldiers left with their captives. Shifu gave Po a dirty look; but Po sighed and averted his gaze. He stepped up to Chu-Jung when the guards had left.

"Are you sure this'll work?" he asked the elephant.

"Of course." Chu-Jung said. "Tomorrow, Shifu will compete in the games against my strongest monsters. Then, once he loses, he will have his powers taken away. He and the other werewolves will lose their ability to transform and lose their powers. I'll take Shifu's amulet, and then you, him, and your friends leave."

"But you also have to leave the Valley of Peace." Po said. "And you can't kill Shifu or the Five."

"Look, let me say this." Chu-Jung said. "I solemnly swear my life to the gods that your master and the Furious Five will not die by my fault. How's that?"

"So if you kill any of them, you die?" Po guessed. Chu-Jung nodded, and Po was satisfied.

*****

The next morning, Po went to down to the dugeon. The guards bowed to him. Po told them he wanted to see Shifu, and one guard grabbed some keys, a blanket, and led Po down to the hallway and stopped at a metal door.

"Why's it so cold here?" Po shivered.

"This cell is specially designed." the guard explained. "Each werewolf can only control one element. The one in here controls fire. The cell is cold enough that he can't use his powers, but not cold enough to freeze him to death." The guard opened the door and handed Po the blanket. "Just be sure to close the door tight when you're done." Po nodded and stepped inside, the guard closing the door almost all the way behind him. Po looked around and found Shifu curled up in a small ball. He had changed back into his normal form and was shivering violently. Frost coated his fur. Po sighed and sat next to him.

"What do _you _want?" Shifu asked bitterly.

"Look, I know you're mad." Po started.

"Mad?" Shifu interupted. "I'm not mad. I'm _furious_. Why in gods' name would you betray us to Chu-Jung?"

"Okay, you're not making this any easier." Po complained.

"You think I care?!" Shifu exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"You know what?" Po said, standing up. "Be that way. Fine. But you always told me and the Five that it's our job to protect the Valley of Peace. Whatever it takes. Well I'm doing my part now."

"What do you have against werewolves?" Shifu demanded.

"They're the reason my family is dead!" Po yelled. Shifu just stared at him. "When I was three, I saw a werewolf kill my parents, simply because he wanted food."

"Po, those were harder times." Shifu explained. "There aren't very many werewolves like that."

"Save your breath." Po retorted. "It's about time monsters like that were done for."

"Po, enough of this!" Shifu sat up. "Werewolves are _not _monsters just because they were born to look like that."

"Here, you'll need this." Po tossed Shifu the blanket he had.

"I have fur." Shifu said mockingly.

"You'll need your energy for the games." Po said as he left. He slammed the door shut and walked off.

"You proud now, boy?" a voice asked. Po froze and looked thru the bars of a cell on his left. The eniter cell was made of metal. In the cell was Zhan shi, curled up in a corner.

"What are you talking abou?" Po asked. Zhan shi looked up into his eyes.

"Are you _proud _of what you've done?" he repeated. "You've betrayed your master and friends, imprisoned many innocents, and are about to help an enemy take over your home." Zhan shi smirked. "I simply want to know if you're proud of it."

"I'm doing this to avenge my parents." Po regarded coldly.

"Well, I'm sure they'd be ashamed." Po glared at the werewolf, but Zhan shi stood and walked right up to Po, staring coldly into his eyes. "If anything happens to my brother, I promise this to the gods in Heaven: I _will _hunt you down and I _will _kill you. I don't care how long it takes." Po backed away, Zhan shi's eyes following him. Finally, after tripping over a stool, Po ran off. Zhan shi didn't return to his corner until he heard Po's footsteps go silent. When the hall was silent, he went to sleep.

*****

That afternoon, two guards came down to Shifu's cell and roughly dragged him out to a metal box outside. Shifu was thrown in, and he growled at the guards as they closed the door and locked it. When the guards started to pull the box, Shifu pounded his fists and feet madly into the walls of the box, determined to get out. Then, Shifu felt the box stop, and froze to listen. He heard a lot of cheering, and then the walls of the box dropped down to reveal a large arena. Shifu blinked in the bright sunlight. He saw Po and Chu-Jung in special seats in front of him.

"Let the games begin!" Chu-Jung shouted. Shifu clenched his fists, which were bloody from punching the walls of the metal box so many times. Then, there was a loud roar, and Shifu looked down at the large metal gate beneath Chu-Jung. The gate opened, and a large, saber-toothed tiger leaped out. Shifu muttered a curse under his breath.

"Good luck Shifu!" Chu-Jung called. "I found this creature frozen in an iceberg. It's been trained to kill!" Shifu growled again, and faced the large cat. The tiger snarled, creeping towards Shifu and circling him. Shifu stood calm and ready. He didn't want to use his werewolf powers, nor did he want to transform. He wasn't about to give satisfaction to Chu-Jung. The tiger lunged, and Shifu dodged its attack. Even if he didn't have a weapon, Shifu still had his training.

_Let's hope it's enough. _Shifu thought as the tiger lunged again. Shifu managed to dodge many attacks before he was caught off guard, and the tiger swiped his claws at him. The claws caught Shifu's arm, leaving nasty scratches. Shifu finally noticed that the cat was on a chain leash, and it gave him an idea. Shifu ran around, grabbing the chain. The tiger lunged again, but Shifu put a length of the chain in the tiger's mouth like a rein. The red panda hopped onto the cat's back, pulling back on the chain. The tiger resisted, but settled down.

"Good." Shifu said. "Now let's get Chu-Jung." The tiger growled and ran to Chu-Jung's balcony. But Chu-Jung barked an order, and a soldier pulled back on the chain. The reins pulled loose, and Shifu fell off. The tiger got eletorcuted by the collar on his neck, and attacked again. Shifu got another idea and transformed to his wolf form, but the cat didn't flinch. Shifu readied himself, then leaped forward, grabbed the chain, and tore it from the saber's collar. The chain broke, and the tiger stared at Shifu for a moment as he went back to normal. The soldier tried to shock the tiger again, but since the chain broke, nothing happened. The tiger walked up to Shifu and nuzzled its new master. Shifu smiled and petted the tiger's head. Then, an arrow pierced Shifu's arm, causing him to cry out. Two of Chu-Jung's soldiers, large hawks, swooped down and grabbed the master. The tiger roared as the hawks took him away. Up in his balcony, Chu-Jung pounded the rail, cursing.

"Stupid werewolf." he said. "I thought for sure that the tiger would wear him out."

"Well, that obviously didnt work." Po remarked.

"No matter." Chu-Jung said. "He's already weakened enough. I can take his powers now."

"But you won't hurt him." Po said. It was more of an order than a question.

"I said I wouldn't kill him." Chu-Jung said, standing up. "I never said I wouldn't harm him."

"That wasn't part of our deal!" Po shouted. Chu-Jung turned and started to walk away.

"That's life." Po grabbed Chu-Jung's arm, but the elephant grabbed Po's wrist and twisted it, making Po yelp.

"You said-"

"I know what I said." Chu-Jung replied. "We agreed that I would get my power and not _kill _the Furious Five or Master Shifu. We did _not _agree that I couldn't harm them." Po groaned when he realized Chu-Jung was right. The elephant let go of Po. "Don't worry; I'll have my power soon. Then you and your friends can leave. I'll even release the werewolves." Chu-Jung walked out the door, leaving Po to berate himself for what he's done.

*****

Meanwhile, the bird soldiers carried Shifu to Chu-Jung's throne room. They dropped the master onto the ground and flew away. Shifu was still clutching his arm where he was scratched and shot when Chu-Jung came in. He was followed by a senile, white wolf with a black stripe down her back. She was as big as an old polar bear.

"Yī fù?" Shifu said. The medicine woman looked away. "What in gods' name are you doing?"

"She never told you?" Chu-Jung asked, smirking. "Yī fù isn't just good with medicine; she's also a skilled sorceress." Shifu stared at Yī fù, who just turned her head. "Now, let's get this over with."

"Chu-Jung, are you sure?" Yī fù asked.

"Of course I am!" Chu-Jung shouted. "That power will help me take over the Valley of Peace!"

"But, sir, you said you wouldn't." Yī fù looked into Shifu's eyes as she spoke. "You made a deal with the Dragon Warrior that after you got your powers, you wouldn't kill the Five or their master, and you'd leave the Valley."

"I solemnly swore to the gods I wouldn't do the killing part." Chu-Jung said. "But I didn't on the valley part; I lied about that." Then, Shifu realized what Po had done, and realized Po was trying to protect him and the Five. Shifu wanted to believe that Po was also trying to protect the werewolves, but he remembered what Po had said about his parents, and considered otherwise. Yī fù stepped up to Shifu, grabbed his arm in her mouth, and roughly dragged him to Chu-Jung. Shifu wasn't ready to give up. Despite his wounds, Shifu lunged, transforming as he did. Chu-Jung grabbed his spear once more and eletrocuted Shifu again. Shifu fell, powerless.

"Can we move on?" Chu-Jung asked lazily. Yī fù looked at Shifu sympathetically, then closed her eyes and started a chant in her strange language. Shifu felt a jolt of pain in his chest, and he cried out. Shifu's eyes glowed gold, and smoke came out. Chu-Jung's eyes glowed as well as the smoke entered his eyes. After a minute, all the smoke disappeared into Chu-Jung's eyes, and Shifu and his eyes stopped glowing. Shifu was back in his normal form. Chu-Jung's body started smoking, and he lunged at Shifu. Shifu braced himself, but all Chu-Jung did was grab his necklace and pull it off. Immediately, Chu-Jung's body stopped smoking, and he tucked the necklace into his pocket. Yī fù rushed to Shifu's side.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I"m fine." Shifu said, standing. Two guards came in, aiming their spears at Yī fù and Shifu.

"Take these two to the courtyard." Chu-Jung said. "Get the rest of the werewolves and the Furious Five and put them there as well. I'll be there momentarily."

"What if they attack?" one guard asked.

"They wouldn't dare." Chu-Jung said. "If they do attack, start killing the attackers." The guards bowed and walked away with Shifu and Yī fù. Po walked into the throne room.

"Do you have the power?" he asked.

"Yes." Chu-Jung took out Shifu's necklace and twirled it around. "Now go."

"Gladly." Po turned to leave. When he reached the door, he turned back and glared at Chu-Jung. "Remeber: you are still held to your swear to the gods."

*****

Out in the courtyard, Shifu and Yī fù waited only a few minutes before all the werewolf warriors and the Five came out. The Five and Zhan shi rushed to Shifu.

"Are you alright?" Zhan shi asked frantically.

"Relax." Yī fù told Zhan shi. "Gods in Heaven, you are so much like your mother." Zhan shi had to smile at that one.

"What's happening?" Monkey asked.

"We heard that Chu-Jung had his powers." Tigress said.

"Yes." Shifu nodded gravely. "He's going to attack the Valley of Peace."

"He wouldn't dare." Po pushed his way thru the crowd to him. The Zhan shi growled menacingly. Po jumped back, but continued. "He swore he wouldn't."

"He lied to you Po." Shifu said. "He wouldn't dare kill me or the Five, but he lied about not attacking the valley."

"But-"

"He _played _you Po." Crane said. "Did you honestly think he'd keep his word?" Po looked down at the ground, ashamed. Suddenly, a voice yelled, "Werewolves of the Valley!" and everyone looked up at a balcony where Chu-Jung stood. Zhan shi growled again.

"Good afternoon!" Chu-Jung shouted. From where Shifu stood, he could see his necklace shining in the sunlight, where it hung around Chu-Jung's neck. "By now, you probably noticed that you no longer have the ability to transform. Well, that is because, thanks to the Dragon Warrior, I now have your powers!" All the werewolves turned to Po, who stood dumbfounded. "I am going to attack the Valley of Peace and take it over! After that, I'm taking your village!" Chu-Jung looked directly at Shifu. "If I were you, I'd leave soon!" Chu-Jung motioned for the gates to open. Shifu and Zhan shi disappeared into the crowd, and Zhan shi started to bark out orders.

"Follow me and Shifu when the gates open!" he yelled. All the werewolves got down and ready; birds readied themselves for flight while the rest of them got down on all fours, ready to run. The Five did the same, and Po got ready to run as fast as his two legs could carry him. The gates of Chu-Jung's palace opened wide, and Shifu and Zhan shi sprinted out, followed by the Five, Po, and the werewolf warriors. Chu-Jung's cold laugh echoed behind them. After they were five miles away, everyone stopped, out of breath. The Five and Po hurried to Zhan shi and Shifu.

"We must get back to the others." Zhan shi said. "We must move everyone far away from here."

"But what about the Valley of Peace?" Po asked. Zhan shi snarled.

"That's _your _problem." the wolf growled. "If you hadn't joined Chu-Jung, none of this would've happened."

"I didn't know he would lie to me!" Po protested.

"He's right, Po." Shifu said. "So why don't _you _just go home." Shifu turned to the Five. "You must get back to the palace. Grab any weapon from the Sacred Hall of Warriors and use it to fight Chu-Jung."

"What about you?" Viper asked. Shifu looked back at Zhan shi.

"I'm going home." he said.

"To the Jade Palace?" Tigress said.

"No." Shifu shook his head. "To the werewolves."

"WHAT?!" Shifu's students cried.

"Look, I haven't seen them pretty much all my life." Shifu said, looking back at his students. "I swore to myself and to them I'd come back. Well now's my only chance to keep my promise."

"But what about the valley?" Mantis asked.

"That's not my problem." Shifu said. "It's Po's. If you want to save it, hurry." Shifu moved to Zhan shi's side. "I have to return to my family. Maybe I'll come back someday. Until then, goodbye, and good luck." With that, Shifu and Zhan shi led the werewolves into the forest.

"Did I do the right thing?" Shifu asked Zhan shi as they ran.

"I think so." Zhan shi said. "Whether or not you do is your decision." Shifu stared ahead of them as they ran.

_I made a promise to come back. _he thought. _I did the right thing. Po and the Five can take care of the valley without me. Besides, they always had to be ready for the day I die and can't take care of them. Well, they can be ready now; they can just pretend I'm dead._

A/N: I little sad, huh? The next chapter will be longer, followed by an epilouge. I hope this pleases all! Read and Review.

FYI: I'm on vacation and couldn't bring my mom's laptop, which has all my Fanfiction stories on it. Bear with me; I'll be back on July 24. I'm writing chapters on my e-mail and in my journal, so I'll be up all night typing and updating.

Read and Review!


	7. Saving the Valley

Werewolves of the Valley

Chapter Six- Saving the Valley

When Shifu and the werewolves disappeared into the woods, the Five and Po could only stand where they were, dumbfounded. Viper was the first to speak.

"So what now?" she asked.

"What else?" Tigress asked as she headed thru the woods towards the valley. The others followed her. "We have to stop Chu-Jung."

"But what about Shifu?" Crane asked.

"Crane, we always had to be prepared for when he dies and can't help us." Tigress said. "Let's just pretend he's dead now." (A/N: How ironic that she and Shifu said the same thing, huh? =))

"That's a bit harsh." Po said.

"You have _no _room to talk, Panda." Tigress said coldly. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Look, my parents _died _because of werewolves." Po explained.

"That doesn't mean you avenge them by going to a bad guy's side!" Mantis said.

"He's right." Viper agreed.

"We should hurry." Monkey said, breaking into a sprint thru the forest. The others followed. "We have to get to the Valley of Peace and prepare ourselves."

*****

Deep into the forest, Shifu and Zhan shi arrived at the werewolf camp. Every werewolf came out to greet them, obviously confused by how they couldn't change.

"What happened?" Chen asked as he came to them. Since he couldn't transform, Chen had the image of a cheetah cub.

"The Dragon Warrior betrayed us." Zhan shi said coldly. "Chu-Jung has our powers."

"What?" Chen cried. "What do we do?"

"Everyone must pack and get ready to move out." Shifu ordered. "We have to leave before Chu-Jung comes. Quickly!" In a quick second, all the werewolves went to work. The warriors joined their families to pack. Zhan shi left as well, and then it was only Chen and Shifu standing together.

"Why would the Dragon Warrior betray us?" Chen asked.

"He was blinded by revenge." Shifu said. "His parents were killed by a werewolf."

"But how are we going to leave before Chu-Jung gets here?" Chen asked.

"Chu-Jung is attacking the Valley of Peace first." Shifu said. "He'll take over the valley, then come here. We have to leave before he's done."

"Who's protecting the valley?"

"Po and the Five."

"Can they do it?"

"I've told them to take a weapon from the Sacred Hall and use it to fight Chu-Jung." Shifu patted Chen on the shoulder. "They can handle it. Meanwhile, we'll leave, and I'll be coming with you to stay." Shifu expected Chen to jump for joy. But instead, Chen looked worried.

"Are you sure your students can handle it?" he asked worriedly.

"Absolutely." Shifu assured. "Chu-Jung to an oath to the gods that he wouldn't kill the Five."

"What about Po?" Chen asked. Shifu froze, then groaned. He had forgotten that Chu-Jung hadn't promised that. The Five would live, no doubt about it. But Po may not be spared. Most likely, not.

"We can't help him." Shifu said as he started to walk to his tent. Chen followed.

"But Shifu, you always said that you can't leave anyone you care about behind, no matter what the cost." Chen protested. "My dad told me that. You know; when you saved his life." Shifu stopped and stared, remembering that fateful day.

_*FLASHBACK*_

_Shifu and another wolf (both in werewolf form) ran quickly thru the forest, dodging rocks and trees as they ran away from two of Chu-Jung's soldiers. They hid behind a rock and watched them leave._

_"I knew we shouldn't have played that prank on them." Shifu said._

_"Oh come on!" the wolf said, smiling broadly. "It was totally fun! Besides, those soldiers deserve it for joining Chu-Jung."_

_"Chang, that's not the point." Shifu said. Suddenly, a spear impaled the stone an inch from Shifu's face, and he yelped._

_"Speaking of point." Chang laughed as he and Shifu ran. The soldiers were right behind them. One threw his spear and it hit Chang's leg. Chang fell, and Shifu skidded to a halt._

_"Run!" Chang shouted, struggling to stand. Shifu knew the soldiers would get to Chang first, and he was determined to help his friend. Shifu snarled and lunged, grabbing one soldier and throwing him into the other. The spear of one soldier impaled the other, killing him. Shifu grabbed the other soldier and threw him into a rock, knocking him out cold. Shifu ran to Chang and helped him up. _

_"Why'd you do that?" Chang said as he limped thru the forest. "You could've died saving my life."_

_"When someone you care about is in danger, you can't leave them behind." Shifu said._

_*END OF FLASHBACK*_

Shifu sighed and looked at Chen, who stared back with pleading eyes.

"I don't want the valley to suffer because we were selfish." Chen said. "And I don't want the Dragon Warrior or the Five to die." Shifu sighed again, shaking his head. He looked off in the direction to the valley.

"Neither do I." Shifu admitted. "But what can we do? We don't have any powers and we can't transform."

"Unleash the blessing." a voice said. Shifu and Chen turned and saw Yī fù walking to them. She sat on her hunches and stared at Shifu.

"What are you talking about?" Chen asked.

"The Blessing of the Werewolf can never really be taken away." Yī fù explained. "When Zhan shi's grandfather came to your village, he needed a strong spirit to hold the blessing."

"Why?" Shifu asked.

"The blessing is the spirit of the first werewolf." Yī fù said. "He is an ancient beast. It is said that when he is most needed, he'll be unleashed. You can unleash it, Shifu, and take down Chu-Jung."

"Will it work?" Shifu asked. "I don't even know _how _to unleash it."

"When the time comes, you will know." Yī fù said. "But I must warn you: the beast has gotten restless over the generations. He may be hard to control, and he won't tire easily." Shifu gazed back into the woods, thinking. He looked back and saw all the werewolves in the entire camp standing in front of him. All of their things were packed and they were ready to go. But all the luggage was on the other side of the camp. Zhan shi stepped up to his brother.

"If you wish to fight, we will follow you." he said.

"We'll do it for the Valley of Peace." Chen said.

"For Oogway." Yī fù added.

"For your family." Zhan shi said. "Adopted, and biological."

"It's your call." said a werewolf who was in tiger form.

Shifu sighed, and turned around, facing the direction that led directly to the valley.

*****

In the Valley of Peace, Po met up with the Five inside the Sacred Hall, just as Shifu ordered.

"Alright." Po said, a little out of breath from his rush up the stairs. "All the villagers are away from the village. They're hiding in the forest."

"Good." Tigress said. "Now, we need a weapon that matches our kung fu styles. Any questions?" Po raised his hand. "What?!"

"Could you help me?" Po asked timidly.

"Maybe all of us?" Viper added.

"Face it, Tigress." Monkey said. "You know more about weapons than any of us here, apart from Shifu and Oogway." Tigress sighed, but nodded. She walked over to the Monkey Shield and tossed it to Monkey.

"Bring your staff as well." Tigress ordered. Monkey nodded. "When I give you a weapon, go down to the gates of the palace." Monkey ran off to get his staff. Tigress chose the Ring Blades for Viper, a sword from the set of ninja weapons for Crane, and the Iron Fist of Justice for Po. Mantis didn't need a weapon.

When everyone else had left, it was only Po and Tigress alone in the hall.

"Which weapon are you going to use?" Po asked. Tigress' only response was her grabbing the Sword of Heroes. Po followed her outside. They met up with Monkey, Crane, Viper, and Mantis, and they all went down to the village to wait. They didn't have to wait for very long, for a moment later, Chu-Jung's men burst thru the village. Chu-Jung was behind them, looking victorious even before the battle had begun. The Five and Po sprang into action at once, taking down soldiers. Po thought they were doing great. But soon, he started to get tired. After crumpling a soldier's face with his iron fist, Po found himself back to back with Tigress.

"How're we doing?" he asked.

"We're losing." Tigress said, cutting down three soldiers at once. "We need back up, and a _lot _of it."

"Where in Heaven's name are we going to get that?" Po exclaimed.

"Just follow me and shut up!" Tigress said as she started to run towards Chu-Jung. Po followed as fast as he could. But soldiers blocked his way, and he saw some sneaking up on Tigress. He shouted out a warning, but the soldier got there first.

Tigress turned to see an enemy alligator with an axe about to cut her in half. She didn't have time to raise the sword, so Tigress braced herself for death. Suddenly, a large black blur slammed into the cheetah, snarling menacingly. In a quick bite to the neck, the soldier was dead. The black creature turned to Tigress, and she saw it was a large, pure black wolf the size of a polar bear.

"Zhan shi?" Tigress said. Then, she heard howls, and she and Zhan shi looked to the forest. All the soldiers, Po, Monkey, Viper, Crane, and Mantis stopped fighting and did the same. Even Chu-Jung looked with a surprised expression.

And from the trees, Shifu and all of his werewolf people burst out, ready to fight. Every werewolf was with Shifu, from the oldest to the youngest. Even Chen and Yī fù were there. All the werewolves attacked, and the battle resumed. Shifu skidded to a halt next to his brother.

"Need some help?" he asked. Tigress smirked and nodded.

"Now, let's get Chu-Jung!" Zhan shi said. The three of them agreed, and they ran to the elephant. He was waiting for them, smiling like he knew he'd win.

"I see the werewolves couldn't resist joining the fun." he said mockingly. Tigress roared and leaped forward with the Sword of Heroes. But then Chu-Jung did something incredible. His body morphed, his skin changing to fur. His tusks disappeared, and his teeth sharpened. His hands and feet turned to paws, each toe armed with a sharp claw. His ears shrunk to small, pointy ears. His tail grew. When the transformation was done, he was in the form of a wolf the size of a small elephant.

Chu-Jung was a werewolf.

Zhan shi wasn't afraid; he attacked at once. But Chu-Jung took care of him quick, knocking the werewolf into a building. Zhan shi was buried in the rubble. Shifu started toward him, but he heard a scream, and he stared in horror as Chu-Jung grabbed Tigress in his mouth. The tiger master had dropped the Sword of Heroes. Shifu ran forward, grabbed it, and slashed at Chu-Jung's leg, leaving a nasty cut. Chu-Jung roared, and Tigress dropped down to her master. They backed away a little as Chu-Jung dropped to them. Shifu handed the sword to Tigress and they ran forward, hitting Chu-Jung with everything they had. But in wolf form, Chu-Jung was stronger. He slammed Tigress into a tree, knocking the wind out of her. Shifu ran up and gave Chu-Jung a kick in the jaw. Chu-Jung went back to his elephant form and took out the electric spear. Shifu ducked and dodged as Chu-Jung jabbed and swiped with the spear. Then, Shifu tripped, falling to the ground on his stomach. Chu-Jung stabbed the spear hard into Shifu's back. Shifu felt jolt after jolt of electricity. After a minute, Chu-Jung stopped, and Shifu fell.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Chu-Jung said, smiling evilly. He grabbed Shifu by the scruff of the neck and pulled him over to Tigress. "Tell you what: before I kill you, you can witness the beginning of my rule. The first thing to do, get rid of these warriors." He gestured toward Tigress. "Oops, forgot; I can't kill this one. Oh well." Chu-Jung stabbed the spear into Tigress' chest, giving her an electric shock. But he wouldn't stop; Chu-Jung kept the tip of the spear on Tigress' body, electrocuting her with shock after shock. Shifu was horrified to see his tiger student being tortured like that. He couldn't stand watching Tigress wither around in agony. But he also couldn't block out her screams of pain. Chu-Jung just laughed in triumph.

Then, Shifu got a weird feeling deep inside of him. Slowly, it grew, and Shifu found out it was anger. It grew and grew until Shifu thought he'd burst. Yī fù's voice sounded softly in his head.

"_When the time is right, you will unleash the spirit, and you will emerge victorious."_

Shifu growled and stared at Tigress. Then, he let out a menacing snarl that would've only come from a wolf. Tigress, while still withering in pain, looked up at her master and saw his eyes a different color. She was shocked to see his irises blood red. Shifu started to change, and Chu-Jung let out a startle yell, dropping Shifu and halting Tigress' shocks. Tigress gasped, relieved from the pain. She looked up weakly and saw Chu-Jung staring at Shifu with absolute terror. And Shifu was different. He had changed into his werewolf form, but he was glowing with a strange white aura.

Shifu had transformed into the Spirit of the First Werewolf.

Shifu lunged at Chu-Jung, who waved his spear around. But Shifu grabbed the spear and threw it into the forest. Chu-Jung transformed, and the two wolves fought like wild animals. Even though Chu-Jung was larger, Shifu was stronger. After fighting vigorously for a few minutes, Shifu slammed Chu-Jung into a tree. Chu-Jung turned back to normal. Shifu snarled as he walked to him, pinning the elephant to the ground.

"You wouldn't kill me!" Chu-Jung pleaded. But Shifu bit down hard onto Chu-Jung's arm. When Shifu pulled back, the bite mark glowed, sending out shadows. They blasted back Shifu's fur, and Chu-Jung disintegrated to ashes. Shifu grabbed the jade wolf necklace, which was all that remained.

Shifu was weak. All that he had done took a lot of energy. Shifu walked over to Tigress, nudging her. Tigress was afraid for a moment, but realized it was still Shifu. She sighed, but then Shifu collapsed to the ground. Tigress held his head in her hands, calling for help. Shifu heard shouts, and he saw Zhan shi slowly rising from the rubble. That was all he saw before his vision faded to black, and his conscious retreated to darkness.

_Done! Well, almost. Sorry it's taken a while. I was without Internet for a while. The epilogue is coming soon. Then, I must finish my other stories. Read and Review!_


	8. Epilogue: Dragons

Werewolves of the Valley

Epilogue

"We shouldn't wake him. He's been thru too much."

"But he's been asleep for a day and a half."

"I don't care Panda."

"Zhan shi is right. Let him sleep."

"Wait. I think he's waking up."

Shifu stirred, and opened his eyes. But his vision was blurry. He had to blink a few times before he could clearly see his students, Zhan shi, Chen, and Yī fù standing over him. Shifu sat up and found himself in his original form again. He rubbed his head.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily.

"In the Jade Palace." Yī fù said. "In your own bed. You've been asleep for quite some time now." Shifu groaned, and Yī fù frowned and pushed him back down.

"What happened to Chu-Jung?" he asked.

"Well, after you killed him, all the soldiers turned to ash and disappeared." Viper said.

"Tigress here was calling for help, so we took you to the palace." Monkey said.

"You're one lucky wolf Shifu." Zhan shi said, smiling. "If Yī fù hadn't been around, you'd be dead right now. And as soon as you're well, we can go home." Shifu straightened up again, and everyone stared at Zhan shi. Shifu sighed, but smiled.

"Of course." Shifu said. Then he noticed that everyone was staring at him. "What?"

"Um….well…." Mantis stuttered. "I think something happened when you unleashed that spirit."

"What makes you say that?" Shifu demanded.

"Well, one of your irises is blue." Monkey said. "And the other is the color of blood."

"WHAT?!" Shifu exclaimed, grabbing a mirror. Sure enough, one of his eyes was still blood red. The other had kept its blue color.

"Alright now!" Yī fù said. "I still have to treat him. Go on, out with all of you!" Yī fù shooed them out the door and went to Shifu's side. "You seem confused."

"How on earth am I supposed to choose between the valley and the wolves?" Shifu asked.

"Just like how you knew when to unleash the spirit, you'll know what to do." Yī fù said.

The next morning, the Five and Po met up with Shifu, Zhan shi, and Yī fù at the edge of the forest. All the other werewolves were with them, in their wolf forms. The villagers had been returned to their homes, and now it was time to say goodbye to the werewolves.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Po asked. It was the first time he had spoken in a long time.

"I have a promise to keep." Shifu reminded him.

"I really am sorry for what I did." Po apologized. Shifu nodded in understanding.

"I hope our paths cross once more." Zhan shi said. "It has been an honor to fight beside you. Even if you did betray us, I can understand why."

"Thanks." Po and Zhan shi shook on it. With a final wave goodbye, Shifu, Zhan shi, Yī fù, and all the werewolves descended into the forest, disappearing in the trees. Shifu stopped and turned to his students, smiling.

"If you ever want to visit, just listen for our howls." He said simply before continuing. The Five and Po gave each other weird looks before going home.

"What do you think he means?" Crane asked.

"Who knows?" Mantis said, shrugging.

"Maybe we _will_ see Shifu again." Viper said hopefully.

"Nothing's impossible." Tigress said.

**********

A week later, Tigress was walking thru the palace when a sound rang thru her ears. It was a ways away, but it sounded like it was right next to her. Tigress ran to the Bunkhouse to tell the others.

"Are you sure?" Viper asked.

"Positive." Tigress said.

"Remember what Shifu told us?" Monkey said.

"He told us, 'If you ever want to visit, just listen for our howls.'" Po said. Everyone stared, then ran out of the palace and down thru the forest. Tigress was in the lead, stopping once in a while to continue listening. Then, Tigress skidded to a halt at a clearing that had a small hill of rocks, almost like a mountain. They looked around, and then heard the sound again. Everyone whipped around to the rocks and smiled. At the top of the rocks, many large dogs were howling to the sky.

The werewolves were howling.

It didn't sound much like howling as much as it sounded like singing. After a minute, they stopped and looked down and finally noticed the Five and Po. The wolves ran down to them and surrounded the kung fu students. One wolf, a black one with a white star on his chest, walked up to them.

"Shifu." Tigress said. Shifu smiled and nodded. Suddenly, a gray werewolf pup jumped up and tackled Po to the ground. Shifu laughed as Chen leaped off, only to jump on Po once more.

"Po, students, this is Chen." Shifu introduced. "He's a very good friend of mine. And a big fan of the Dragon Warrior."

"Hi!" Chen said.

"What up?" Po said feebly. Chen laughed again. All the werewolves walked off, and the Five and Po realized that the werewolves had made camp in the trees around the clearing.

"You live here?" Viper asked.

"I didn't want to leave the wolves." Shifu explained. "But I also didn't want to leave the Valley of Peace."

"So we agreed to live close to the valley." Zhan shi said as he approached. Chen ran off and came back with a ball.

"Wanna play?" Chen asked.

"You mean like fetch?" Po asked.

"Kind of." Chen said, getting ready to run. Po shrugged and threw the ball as far as he could. Chen ran after it, yapping happily. Po chuckled.

"Hey Shifu, do _you _ever do that?" he laughed. In response, Shifu stomped on Po's foot, making him yell. Chen returned, and Po continued. Shifu walked to Tigress and led her to Yī fù's tent. He motioned for her to sit down, and she obeyed. Yī fù sat as well, as did Shifu.

"You know, there is one more reason I called." Shifu said. "I need you to help me."

"Why me?" Tigress asked.

"You're the only person I trust the most, next to Oogway." Shifu replied. He nodded to Yī fù, and she grabbed a bundle of blankets and set it in front of Shifu and Tigress.

"This is why we called you." Yī fù said as she unwrapped the black cloth. Inside, there was a strange, pure black stone, round, and the size of Shifu's head.

"A stone?" Tigress questioned.

"No, not a stone." Shifu said.

"It's a dragon egg." Yī fù said.

"A what?!" Tigress exclaimed.

"I found a dragon in the forest." Shifu explained. "She trusted me with this egg; she told me I was the egg's guardian."

"Where do I come in?" Tigress asked.

"I need help to hide the egg from bandits." Shifu said. "We need to watch it until it hatches, and then raise it."

"But know this: you can refuse." Yī fù said. Tigress stared at the majestic dragon egg in front of her. She looked at Shifu, right into his two different colored eyes. He looked a little nervous; like he was afraid he'd mess up with the egg. In truth, he was afraid to make another mistake in raising a child. That was why Shifu needed Tigress; he wanted the dragon to at least have a motherly figure around.

"I'll do it." Tigress said. Shifu sighed with relief.

"Then it's settled." Yī fù said. "You two will take the egg to the Jade Palace and take care of it, before and after it hatches. Should you have any problems, come to me immediately."

"Yes." Shifu and Tigress agreed. Together, the three of them stared at the dragon egg for a long time, each one wondering what was going to happen with the dragon. Inside his head, Shifu heard a voice. A soft, sweet, child's voice.

"_I can't wait to see you. Remember your duties as the new Dragon Keeper. Always."_

A/N: Finished! At last! Enjoy my patient readers! As you might guess, there will be a sequel. Coming to Fanfiction soon!!! Read and Review!!!


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